The present disclosure generally relates to radio frequency (RF) detection and ranging (remote sensing) and, more particularly, to robotic surveillance systems capable of discriminating living individuals from inanimate objects. Mountable remote sensors on a robotic self-propelled frame or housing have a major importance to the law enforcement and military personnel compared to traditional hand held devices. Rapid deployment in hard-to-reach terrains and standoff sensing capability that keeps the operator out of harm's way are the major advantages of robot-mountable remote sensors.
A remote controlled robotic vehicle may be used to enter structures in which it would be dangerous for human operators. For example, a collapsed building from earthquake damage may be prone to further collapse such that it is unsafe for human entry. Should a building include armed or otherwise dangerous individuals, the desirability of determining where/whether there are such occupants using a remote controlled robotic sensor is obvious. To meet this need in the art, sensors that can detect the respiration and/or heartbeat of individuals hidden behind walls have been developed. Such sensors may be deemed as “sense-through-the-wall” due to this ability to detect targets hidden behind walls or rubble. For example, a sense-through-wall sensor such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,779,966 may be mounted to a remote controlled robotic ground vehicle or flying vehicle. But a user may have already developed a custom control interface for controlling the robotic ground vehicle. It is very expensive and cumbersome to then re-program the control interface to add the capability of controlling a sense-through-wall sensor.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simplified sensor interface that may take advantage our unused control signals in a pre-existing control interface for a robotic vehicle.